Pubs in London

Phil Taylor

We know that British pubs are unique. But in the UK a pub is just a pub; they're all pretty much the same, right? Well not quite. Even in London there are hundreds of pubs, and they are all very different. Different types of customers pay different prices to drink different kinds of beer in very different looking places. By going to the pub you can learn a lot about people, culture and history.

One quite unique kind of historical pub is the "Gin Palace". In 17th century England many French drinks such as wine and brandy were banned, so by the 1800s a lot of pubs were converted into shops selling English gin, and nothing else! In Victorian times they were lavishly decorated with gas lights, mirrors, glass and tiles so they would look more attractive to people passing by. In the 20th century many gin palaces were converted and redecorated back to usual looking pubs, but some have been very well preserved. One of the best to see in London is The Princess Louise at 208 High Holborn, WC2 (walk towards Oxford Street from Holborn station, and it's on the left).
It was built in 1872, and may not look very interesting outside. But be prepared for a visual onslaught when you go inside. It is a true shrine to Victorian craftsmanship with virtually every surface from floor to high ceiling decorated with painted tiling and engraved glass from famous London makers of the time. Even the toilets are beautiful! The bar is oval-shaped, and features a "bar wagon" with a miniature clock tower. Behind it is the original "publican's office", which is very rare. Before the bar was built, the beer was "drawn" (pumped up from the barrels in the cellar) here and then served to customers by waiters. This pub now serves Sam Smiths beer, which is good and quite cheap.

So, while we're in the Holborn area I'll recommend a few other places to stop by. The Lamb at 94 Lamb's Conduit Street, WC1 (off Theobald's Road) is a real gem of a pub. It's named after Sir William Lamb (not the cute animal) who built a conduit to bring clean water to this area in 1577.

The Lamb is not a gin palace, but the interior is another one of the best in London, dating from 1894. When you go to the bar to order your drink you will see a set of small windows over the bar. They are quite low and you will have to talk through them or bend down to talk under them. These are called "snob screens" and they can be turned so that the customer can not be identified by the staff! In Victorian England, which was very class-conscious, many pubs had snob-screens as well as wood and glass partitions to separate the drinkers. At the Lamb, the partitions are now gone, but the pub is still broken up into nice snug sections with a dining room at the back and a cosy seating area with dark green leather sofas and small round tables at the front of the horseshoe shaped bar. There is a lot of dark wood and old photographs on the walls, the food is good and I also recommend the Young's beer.

The Cittie of Yorke is at 22 High Holborn and is quite old. Some parts of the building have been standing since 1645, and there have been inns on the site from as far back as 1430. When you enter this pub you will be in an entry corridor. The bar at the front is quite small and the style is fairly typical. But go to the end of the corridor and you will find the Long Bar which is a lot more special.
In the early 1900s people had become bored with the decorative gin-palaces and wanted a more simple style again. The result was the "back-to-the-inn" style, and the Long Bar is a great example. It looks like a medieval banqueting hall with a very high beamed ceiling, a bare floor, lots of wood paneling and small booths with individual lights and wrought ironwork.
The name of this pub also has an interesting history. Long ago it belonged to a different pub nearby, and when Sam Smiths took over they stole the name!

So now that we've seen the fancy gin-palace and the simple back-to-the inn, it's time for something more simple - just cosy and typically English. If you are near the Royal Courts of Justice, walk around behind them to 53 Carey Street, WC2 and find The Seven Stars which recently celebrated its 400th birthday. The pub used to be called the League of Seven Stars, named after the seven provinces of the Netherlands. Its early customers were Dutch sailors who settled in the area in the 17th century, but now you will probably just find lawyers and law students enjoying the food and drink here.
Something special about this pub is how small it is! The main bar is quite long and very narrow, decorated with carpet, black wood beams and interesting pictures and ornaments on the walls. The owner is another special feature - a local character named Roxy Beaujolais who also serves and cooks delicious food all day, and in the evenings too if she feels like it! You can also buy copies of her book from behind the bar for an interesting souvenir.

You can find more pictures, maps and information about all these pubs at www.pubs.com